I help organisations to engage with their employees and with their customers.

Much of the time, I’m a storyteller. I might be explaining a business strategy in a way staff can relate to, or encapsulating the appeal of a product or service, or bringing to life a complex engineering project. The medium could be a magazine, blog, brochure, speech or a website. It’s the narrative that matters.

Before the storytelling gets underway there’s some strategic thinking – helping clients to nail the rationale behind their communications campaign. The best writers are not just compelling storytellers: they need strong business acumen too. Writing also relies on relationships. I couldn’t do my job without winning the trust and confidence of people at all levels in an organisation.

I work mostly with engineering and technology companies – those in the energy, automotive, aviation and healthcare sectors – but happily explore other worlds.

Projects

Sometimes I’m commissioned to simply write a feature. Often I’ll be asked to produce a brochure or magazine – project managing the design as well as writing the copy. On other occasions I’ll help to develop a broader communications plan, where there’s some strategic thinking needed too.

A change of direction

A manufacturing technology company summed up their communications challenge for me. “In the past our business strategy focused on financial targets. We now need to show employees that our future success depends on other factors. We must ready the organisation for a more competitive marketplace and raise performance.” I helped the management team to simply express their business strategy and to bring it to life for employees across the organisation.

Something to shout about

“We work on some amazing projects, but most of our customers never get to hear about them.” The Siemens News & Views magazine was launched to put that right. I interview both customers and employees – directors to apprentices – to tell engaging stories about Siemens’ contribution to the energy industry. These are in-depth, honest features where real people share their views. It’s a twice-yearly print and digital global publication.

Battling corporate armour

Many organisations have a set of values; most employees are weary of corporate jargon. I worked with a team of directors at a leading car manufacturer to help them express to employees, honestly and simply, what their values mean. Storytellers have to win the trust and confidence of people at all levels in an organisation and adapt their style to different audiences and media.

Finding time to reflect

Small teams, passionate in their work, can struggle to take time out to think about communication. TRS is a not-for-profit programme that supports careers in manufacturing, engineering and technology for UK plc. It’s run by senior industry leaders and supported by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. They asked me to help them share more widely the great work they’re doing. First step: a brochure and case studies.

Unravelling the story

Few engineers like a blank sheet of paper. I help them to tell their stories. When an aviation company asked me to produce an engineering brochure and a series of case studies, my job was about asking the right questions, listening hard, tuning in to sensitivities and sometimes challenging assumptions. Telling stories starts with unravelling and ends with bringing the threads together.

Marking the milestones

Over five years, Siemens and BAM Nuttall have been delivering challenging projects for SSEN [Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks] – massive substations in very remote locations that will connect renewable energy to the grid. The newsletter I produce gives the senior team at SSEN – and a wider community – regular updates. It highlights achievements and brings complex projects to life.

Stories

I’m not good at corporate jargon. I think business writing should be simple and direct. If I ever write ‘Going forward, we need to work on maximising synergies, aligning our messaging and trackable engagement’, fire me. When I interview someone I want their real voice to be heard. Here’s a small selection of stories.